Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Kolkata: Acting on a written complaint by the Kolkata airport authorities, the Bidhannagar Commissionerate has banned lighting and release of sky lanterns in an approximate 8km area around the airport. Officials had apprehended a serious accident because of the rising number of lanterns in the sky above the airport during Kali Puja-Diwali over the past few years.

The ban that is to be implemented from Tuesday, will be in effect till December 29 and covers areas under Baguiati, airport, NSCBI airport and Narayanpur police station jurisdictions.

The order came into effect after the airport authorities wrote to the cops last year after pilots complained of the presence of thousands of sky lanterns during Diwali and Kali Puja fearing one of them could get sucked into the engine of an aircraft, leading to a major accident.
30/10/18 Times of India